Wireless networks incorporating access nodes, relay nodes, and other small-cell access nodes are becoming increasingly common, and may be referred to as heterogeneous networks. An access node may serve a coverage area, region, or sector having one or more relay nodes and one or more end-user wireless devices that are directly connected with the access node without using a relay node (hereinafter “directly connected end-user wireless devices”). A relay node may serve one or more end-user wireless devices that are indirectly connected with the access node through the relay node.
Relay nodes improve service quality by relaying communication between the access node and one or more end-user wireless devices in the wireless network that are indirectly connected with the access node through the relay nodes. For example, relay nodes may be used at the edge of a coverage area of an access node to improve and/or extend coverage and service, as well as in crowded areas having a high number of end-user wireless devices to increase the available throughput to the end-user wireless devices being relayed by the relay nodes. The access node may be referred to as a “donor” access node. Relay nodes are generally configured to communicate with the “donor” access node via a wireless backhaul connection, and to deploy a radio air interface to which end-user wireless devices can attach. Donor access nodes generally include scheduling modules or schedulers for scheduling or allocating resources to wireless devices directly connected thereto, as well as to the relay nodes connected to the donor access nodes through the wireless backhaul connection.
When an access node serves both relay nodes and directly connected end-user wireless devices, the access node may treat a relay node in the same way as it treats a directly connected end-user wireless device when allocating uplink resources. In other words, in a conventional wireless network, a relay node competes for uplink resources like any other directly connected end-user wireless devices. A conventional uplink resource allocation scheme employed by a conventional wireless network may not provide satisfactory user experience to the end-users through the relay node, when the relay node is serving GBR related traffic (e.g., VoLTE) that may require reduced latency.
Overview
Exemplary embodiments described herein include systems, methods, and processing nodes for scheduling or allocating uplink resources to relay nodes in a wireless network. An exemplary system described herein for allocating uplink resources to relay nodes in a wireless network includes an access node configured to deploy a first radio air interface. The system also includes a relay node configured to attach to the first radio air interface and to deploy a second radio air interface to which one or more end-user wireless devices are attached. The system further includes one or more other end-user wireless devices attached to the first radio air interface. The system further includes a processor configured to determine a type of traffic related to the one or more end-user wireless devices served by the relay node. The processor is further configured to selectively issue an extended uplink grant to the relay node based on the type of traffic.
An exemplary method described herein for allocating uplink resources to relay nodes in a wireless network includes determining a type of traffic related to one or more end-user wireless devices served by a relay node that is in wireless communication with an access node. The access node is also in wireless communication with one or more other end-user wireless devices that are not served by the relay node. The method also includes selectively issuing an extended uplink grant to the relay node based on the type of traffic.
An exemplary processing node described herein for allocating uplink resources to relay nodes in a wireless network is configured to perform operations including determining a type of traffic related to one or more end-user wireless devices served by a relay node that is in wireless communication with an access node. The access node is also in wireless communication with one or more other end-user wireless devices that are not served by the relay node. The operations also include selectively issuing an extended uplink grant to the relay node based on the type of traffic.